Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-13
CROSS PURPOSES.

are "cloves" in the Catskills. Palenville
is q scattered little village full OF board
ing houses and small hotels. The preten-
tious hotels are all on the mountains tops
In the Catskills, while in the Adirondacks
they are all in the valleys. But whether
a mountain hotel is itself high or low its
rates by the day or the week are always
on the breezy summit. The little noun
tain inn at which my wife and were the
only guests was situated by the side of the
turbulent Kaaterskill. Across the creek
the wooded mountain rose to dizzy
height, while behind the house the rise
was so abrupt that it darkened all the
rear windows. From the front piazza
there was a splendid view Of the woods,
climbing tier on tier, and above all lit
tie strip of blue sky. Against this bit OF
sky stood out in bold relief large cross.
History tells us that John Sprat and
his wife were well matched because his
taste and hers differed in the matter OF
food, and so their united efforts had the
effect of leaving no surplus on the platter
and the consequence was that harmony
and economy reigned in the Sprat house
hold If, however, Mr.. and Mrs. Sprat
were equally dissimilar in their ideas in
the matter Of travelling ! fear that they
would not have got along so well as they
did at table If Mrs. Sprat was content
to sit in comfortable rocking chair on
the hotel piazza and view the mountains
from that easy altitude, while Jack
yearned to take an alpenstock and climb,
1t is evident that both could not be salts
fed II Jack Sprat delighted in rushing
from place to place and seeing every
thing by turns and nothing long" while
Mrs. Sprat preferred to find out some at
tractive locality and stay there rather
than ''fy to others that they knew not
Of" the chances would be against COM
plete harmony.
But this is DEPRESSION and has nothing
to do with the case. AS we sat there
looking at the cross on the mountain top
l made the following unjustifiable remark
"a remark which led to the tragedy that
it is my painful duty to record. II sup
pose there are ladies in this world who
wouldn't mind climbing to that cross, but
never met any of them"
Mrs. Sharp rose with dignity from the
comfortable rocking chair and said:
81 will be ready in ten minutes. In
that time you can find out which is the
best way to get to the cross"
lily SCNOili
remark, which made inevitable the catas-
trophe that was to follow.
"Oh, it's no use. We will get up about
quarter of mile and you will then sit
down on fallen tree and say Il can't go
any further In the words Of the poet,
I've bin thar -
To this ill-natured assertion the lady
did not think it worth while to reply.
Invent down to interview the proprietor.
EYES," he said, there is good path
to the cross You can't miss it."
''You do me an injustice" | replied.
"You little know my genius for getting
on the wrong track"
"Well, you can't miss this one, for it's
all marked with red paint If you are in
doubt, look out for the red paint on the
rocks. Then you are all right.
WHO put the cross there?"
sOh, a lot of young fellows who went
up there a while ago. There used to be
a hotel on the cliff. A California woman
spent $40, 900 on it and lost every cent of
it. The hotel went to ruin and was at
last torn down. To find the path go to
the second house and enter through the
front yard
BY the time had acquired this fund Of
incarnation my partner was ready and
we crossed the bridge and sought the
second house. 1t looked like trespass,
but we entered the front yard and found
the Path of the Red Mark. 1t led up and
across the main road and then into the
woods again. On every prominent rock
some philanthropist had painted a red
arrow, and, with that yearning for immor-
tally which seems to be latent in every
human heart, he had here ard there
painted his initials. At last the path
reached rough mountain road that had
been long neglected. The freshets had
worn great chasms along it. and as we
assembled higher some parts of it were
washed away The arrows still showed
our way to be along this ever ascending
road. One arrow, however, we missed.
1t pointed up the mountain while we went
along the road. l felt proud afterward
to think that in spite of such plain direc-
lions | had succeeded in keeping intact
my record for always taking the wrong
track The road we followed was evil
denty the one constructed by the unfortu
nate California woman to lead 10 her i'll
fated hotel. II was much longer but
much easier climbed than the path. 1t
was half past 3 when we heard the boom
of quarry blast in the cliffs above us.
It appeared that the road also led to a
quarry. Two more turns brought us
under great cliff of bald rock. and at the
top of it we heard the pounding of the
quarrymen. | hoped that we would pass
unnoticed, but there was no such luck in
store for us. | thought it best to be on a
friendly footing, so | shouted up:
SIS this the way TO the CROSSE
whats that" was shouted down.
> 1.-The cross The mountain top' Is this
the way"
''Oh, yes. Keep right on. Path lit
tie further up"
During this brief mutual shout quarry
man after quarryman popped up into sight
from behind the cliff and now dozen or
more stood out against the dark mountain
background.
"This alone is worth coming up the
mountain TO see. It's scene from Rip
Van Wrinkle with the real Catskills as the
stage setting Those are not Quarrymen,
they are Heinrich Hudsou's men-the
Rnomes of the mountain"
A., So said my partner as she leaned on her
alpenstock and looked with admira-
ton at the stage effect before US. l
thought would rather meet the gnomes
than a lot Of rough, lawless quarrymen
IN the lonesome mountains with night
falling, several miles from civilization.
''See here" l said, ''let's go down; I'm
tired OUT
''No, sir. No, sir. I'm going Up to
that cross
at will be dark before we reach it.
There will be nothing to see.''
IF it is midnight before / reach there
I'm going to that cross"
"But I'm tired out. can't go step